1997 Ducati 916
Miles: 22,000
Clean Title
Bid at post: $14,700
Back to our regularly-scheduled, more traditionally sportbike-y content with this very nice, well-maintained-but-definitely-not-an-SPS Ducati 916: if you scrolled ahead and looked at the pictures [Marc, I’m talking to you], you might have noticed the SPS decal on the tail, but no, this is not a budget-priced homologation dream-find. Sorry. You’re not that lucky. Instead, this particular example of Bologna’s iconic superbike is simply a very well-maintained example with an SPS tail. It looks very sharp, and I’d have kept it too, if it were my bike, although I’d definitely have added a white number plate on the nose to match. Regardless, there’s not much to say about the 916 that hasn’t already been said: the bike is iconic, a modern classic, and redefined for the buying public what a Ducati could be. In terms of performance, the 916 may have simply been an evolution of the 888 that came before it. But in terms of styling, and visibility for the company outside the motorcycling community, the 916 was truly revolutionary.
selling the pièce de ré·sis·tance of my red bike collection, my ’97 916. it is the last year of the original 90’s Ducati graphics. it is in exceptional shape as you would expect of an icon such as this. it looks as new with the fairings on or off. i am extraordinarily picky about what i buy and religious about maintaining their mechanicals and aesthetics. i have owned dozens of Ducati’s and other brands over my riding lifetime, this is of course the most special of all. it’s cleaned off with a microfibre cloth after each ride, with separate cloths for fairings, windscreen, and frame/wheels. it’s also hand waxed every few months.
this 916 is completely 💯% OEM with the exception of a set of Termignoni carbon fibre slip-ons (with chip) and a closed carbon fibre clutch cover. there is a carbon key guard also, otherwise it’s no different than when it rolled out of the Bologna factory 28 years ago. license plate holder, turn signals, levers, paint are all original. it came to me with an SPS tail but it is NOT an SPS. the white plate on the tail does look awesome so i left it. when i bought the bike it was wearing a tinted aftermarket windscreen. i purchased a brand new Factory Ducati OEM windscreen directly from Italy with the little Cagiva elephant in the right hand corner to bring it back to original equipment condition.
i’ve had the rear brake master cylinder rebuilt, the chain runners replaced with new, the air intake tubes replaced with brand new also, and the fork seals done. probably a few other general mainteance items i do not recall currently, along with the usual oil and filter, air filters, etc. it wears Bridgestone S22 tyres currently, in very near new, great condition. brakes, clutch, fluids, etc., are all in excellent shape. it has the upgraded charging system and regulator. battery is fresh and always on a tender when not in use. it will fire straight to life and run perfectly without the need of the fast idle. every turn signal, dash light, tail light and the rest function as expected.
i bought this bike almost a decade ago with 17k miles and have had it since. it now has around 22k on the odometer. however this bike is virtually as clean as brand new.
the bike has always resided within the living room of my personal residence in the Los Angeles South Bay area since i’ve owned it. but while it’s spent 90% of its life in front of the fireplace, it’s not simply interior artwork, i ride it every few weeks at a minimum with fresh 91 octane fuel each time from the Shell station on Lincoln. it’s been maintained exclusively by Moto Servizio in Long Beach, as have all of my Ducati’s and other brands. clean title of course, and currently registered. it’s never been dropped and never abused.
as previously mentioned and seen from some of the photos, this machine is ridden at least monthly, usually for Malibu car shows and Rock Store bike hang-outs. it has never left me stranded or given any trouble. and it’s never seen the track. i originally purchased the bike from an elderly man’s estate in NYC and had it shipped to me in L.A., it’s been well cared for and had an easy life before and since.
Miles are low for this 1997 Ducati 916, the bike is as close to stock as you’re ever going to get, or probably would really want [see: Termignoni slip-ons], the bike appears to have been owned by a Ducati fanatic, and it’s even been serviced by a specialist well-known in Ducati circles. I wish I still lived down that way, I’d love to be getting my bike taken care of by Moto Servizio. Had a couple very good experiences with him. The photos in the listing are… all over the place. Literally. Different locations, probably wildly different dates. No pictures of the odometer. And the Florida plates and registration are a bit suspect on a California bike. Hopefully the seller can clear all that up. $14,700 might sound extravagant for a pretty standard 916, but if you shop around, I think that seems like a very nice price for such a clean, well cared-for example. No, it’s not a first year bike, it’s not an homologation special, or a low-mile garage queen, or a 998. But it’s a really, really nice rider.
-tad
While I was appreciate the care given to this bike, I’m not sure how one can say a bike with 22,000 miles is like new? It’s like a new bike with 22,000 miles I guess.